Machines for shaping stitchdown uppers over lasts



De@ 13, 1960 N. v. GERMANY ETAL 2,963,719

MACHINES FOR SHAPING STITCHDOWN UPPERS OVER LASTS Filed Jan. 21, 1959 MACHINES FOR SHAPING STITCHDOWN UPPERS OVER LASI'S Norman Victor Germany and Herbert Victor Goreham,

Leicester, England, assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, NJ., a corporation of New `lersey Filed '.lan. 21, 1959, Ser. No. 788,160

Claims priority, application Great Britain Feb. 26, 1958 2 Claims. (Ci. 12-75) This invention relates to machines for shaping uppers over lasts and is herein illustrated in its application to machines for shaping over lasts the uppers of stitchdown shoes and for cement attaching the outwardly anged margins of such uppers to the margins of extension soles. Machines of this type are disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,524,882, granted October l0, 1950, on an application led in the names of F. C. Choice et al., and in United States Letters Patent No. 2,524,883, granted October l0, 1950, on an application filed in the name of Frank C. Choice. For shaping over lasts stitchdown uppers not previously assembled on the last and for attaching such uppers to extension soles which have ynot been attached to the last bottom machines of the type disclosed in the patents above referred to have been modiied as disclosed in an application for United States Letters Patents Serial No. 774,943, filed November 19, 195 8, in the name of Norman V. Germany.

Economies in the manufacture of stitchdown shoes may be effected by the use of a machine of the type disclosed in the application above referred to in that the use of such a machine contemplates the elimination of the operation of assembling the upper on the last and also the operationv of fastening the extension sole to the last bottom. The use of such machines also effects economies in the maintenance and repair of shoe lasts by obviating the repeated insertion into the last of upper retaining tacks and sole retaining tacks.

ln the operation of machines of the type illustrated in the application above referred to, the outwardly flanged margin at the toe portion of a stitchdown shoe upper is coated with heat activatable cement as is also the upper portion of the margin of an extension sole and the outwardly lianged margin of the upper and the margin of the sole are pressed together between a work'supporting plate and heated toe wipers in order to cause the cement attachment of the upper to the sole. It has become evident from the use of machines of this type that the cement attachment of the upper to the sole would be more secure and more dependable if the bond between the upper and the sole could be extended at least to some degree into that portion of the shoe bottom where the sole curves upwardly toward the shank portion of the shoe. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a machine of the type above referred to with means for causing the cement attachment of the sole to the outwardly anged margin of the upper at the upwardly curved portion of the shoe bottom above referred to and hereinafter identied as the ball portion of the shoe.

With the above object in view the present invention contemplates the provision in a machine of the type above referred to of a work supporting plate having formed therein chambers suitable for receiving presser members for urging the ball portion of the extension sole against outwardly flanged bottom marginal portions of the upper. The illustrated presser members States Patent ICC tare resilient elements having sole engaging surfaces which incline downwardly toward the toe end of the sole and are normally disposed above the plane of the work supporting plate. In the illustrated organization the chambers are so disposed lengthwise of the shoe that the ends of the toe wipers in their advanced position overlie a portion of each chamber so that the presser members press portions of the sole and the outwardly anged margins of the upper against the end portions of the wiper plate and bend adjacent portions of the sole and the upper upwardly around the rear edges of the wiper plates in order to impart thereto a curvature corresponding generally to the curvature of the corresponding portion of the last bottom.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. l is a plan view illustrating the toe head and work supporting means of a stitchdown pulling over and toe lasting machine embodying the features of the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a side elevation illustrating parts of the work supporting means and the operating instrumentalities with relation to the forepart of a shoe upper mounted on a last.

The illustrated machine is generally similar to the stitchdown pulling over and toe lasting machine illustrated and described in the Choice et al. Patent No. 2,524,882, above referred to, and embodies features disclosed in the Choice Patent No. 2,524,883, above referred to, and embodies also certain work supporting and positioning means illustrated and described in an application for United States Letters Patent Serial No. 774,943, filed November 19, 1958, in the name of Norman V. Germany. Only such portions of the illustrated machine as are required to be disclosed for an understanding of the present invention are illustrated in the drawing and described herein. For a comprehension of the features of the machine not herein described, reference may be had to the patents above referred to.

For supporting in upright position a shoe last 10 (Fig. 2) and an upper 12 loosely mounted thereon together with an extension sole or midsole 14 which has not been attached to the last bottom or to the upper mounted thereon, the illustrated machine is provided with a work supporting plate 16 the construction and the mounting of which are similar to the construction and mounting of the work supporting plate disclosed in the copending application above referred to. The illustrated machine is also provided with means (not shown) operating at the shank portion of the midsole 14 for orienting the midsole relatively to the last l0, the upper l2 and the operating instrumentalities of the machine, the illustrated orienting means being substantially the same as the orienting means provided in the organization disclosed in said copending application.

The margin of the toe portion of the midsole is pressed upwardly against the outwardly anged margin of the toe portion of the upper by the work supporting plate i6 operating as described in the Choice et al. Patent No. 2,524,882 above referred to. The upper will have been prepared for attachment to the midsole by the operation of a toe gripper 28 and side grippers 30 generally similar to the grippers illustrated and described in the Choice Patent No. 2,524,883 above referred to.

For imparting relatively heavy pressure to the marginal portions of the midsole 14 at opposite sides thereof in the region where the shoe bottom curves upwardly to form the ball portion of the shoe, this being at the rear- Ward extremities of a pair of toe lasting wipers 20, the

Patented Dec. 13, 1960A illustrated machine is provided with a pair of resilient presser members herein illustrated as rubber members 22, one at each side of the shoe, substantially square in cross section. The presser members 22.are mounted in sockets or chambers illustrated as box-like structures 24 which are open at the top to receive the presser members. The illustrated box-like structures are secured to the rectilinear end portion of the work supporting plate 16 and depend therefrom. The rubber presser members 22, as shown in Fig. 2, areformed with upper surfaces which incline downwardly toward the toe end of a shoe in the machine. The upper portion of each presser member 22 projects above its supporting socket so that the inclined upper surface of the pad is positioned above the plane of the work supporting plate 16. Freferably, and as herein illustrated, the rubber presser members are approximately one inch square, as seen in plan view, and the upper surface thereof at its upper extremity is approximately one-quarter of an inch above the plane of the work supporting plate 16. The length of the lasting wipers 2f? is such that when the wipers are in their fully advanced position with the toe lasting operation completed, as shown in Fig. 2, the extremities of the wiper plates overlie the shorter portions of the rubber presser members 22 and extend over approximately one-third of the area of the inclined upper surfaces of the presser members.

Prior to the operation of the lasting wipers 2o the upper is tensioned over the last by the operation of the toe gripper 28 and the side grippers 30 as described in the Choice et al. Patent No. 2,524,882, -hereinbefore referred to. In order to permit freedom of movement of the stock in the forepart of the upper by the action of the toe gripper after the side grippers have closed on the stock, therside grippers are constructed and arranged to move freely with the stock lengthwise of the shoe in response to the action of the toe gripper.

In the operation of the illustrated machine the operator places the forepart of the midsole 14 on the work supporting plate 16 and positions the midsole in predetermined relation tothe operating instrumentalities of the machine -by lbringing its toe portion into contact with gaging surfaces formed in a pair of positioning ngers 26 which are substantially similar to the positioning iingers illustrated and'described in the copending application or Norman V. Germany hereinbefore referred to. The shank portion of the midsole is positioned widthwise thereof and supported by means illustrated in said copending application. Having thus positioned the midsole the operator places the last with the upper 12 looselyy mounted thereon in upright position on the forepart of the midsole and positions the toe end of the last in predetermined relation to the ymidsole and to the operating instrumentalities of the machine by bringing it into'contact with the positioning ngers 26. It will be understood that in so positioning the last and the upper the margin of the upper at the extremity of the toe is inserted into the toe gripper jaws 28 and the margin at opposite sides ofi-the forepart is inserted into the jaws of the side grippers 30. rIhe grippers are then caused to operate on the upper in the manner described in the Choice et al. patent above referred to, the side grippers moving toewardly with the upper stock in response to the operation of the toe gripper. Upon the completion of the operation of the grippers the wipers 2) wipe the forepart of the upper heightwise thereof toward the margin of the midsole and during the latter part of their advancement wipe the upper inwardly to form a crease between the body of the upper and its outturned flange. The grippers and the positioning fingers move away from the upper at the appropriate time to provide clearance for the operation of the wipers. While the wipers are at the limit ofvtheiradvancement the work supporting plate 16 is urged upwardly against the midsole i4 thus pressingV the margin of the midsole against the` outwardly flanged margin of the upper thereby clamping the margins of the upper and the midsole between the work supporting plate and the wipers." Preferably the wipers are heated in order to cause the margin of the midsole to be attached to the outwardlyanged margin of the upper by a heat activatable cement on the attaching surfaces of the upper and the midsole. Y

When the work supporting plate 16 is tmovedupwardly to clamp ,the margin of the midsole and the outwardly anged margin of the upper against the wipers 20 the resilient rubber presser members 22 exertupward pressure against the marginal portions of the midsole and the outwardly flanged margin of the upper at points adjacent to the ends of the wipers'. The inclined upper surfaces of the presser members extending upwardly abovethe plane of the wipers tend to bend the margins of the midsole and the upper about the ends Vof the'wipers to cause a localized clamping action between the midsole and the upper inthe vicinity of the ball line where the shoe bottom curves upwardly toward the shankportion of the shoe. The localized action of the presser membersy thus extends the cement attachment of the lmidsole to the upper into the ball portion of the shoe and insures a satisfactory and dependablev attachment of the midsole to the upper preparatory to the permanent attachment thereof by a sewn seam.

The presence of the presser members 22 at opposite sides of the ball portion of the shoe opposes the advancement of the extremities of the wipers and tends to prevent excessive movement of the ends of the wipers with result'mg excessive inward wiping of the upper .at the juncture of the forepart and the ball portion where the last begins to curve upwardly away from the plane of the wipers. This action 'of the presser members is particularly desirable in operating on a shoe the midsole of which is not attached to the last bottom since an unattached midsole would normally be spaced away from the upwardly curved ball portion of the last bottom thus oiiering little restraint to excessive inward movement of the wipers. Y

If desired, a hand gripper the jaws of which have been suitably heated may be employed at the heel end of the shoe to clamp the outwardly hanged margin of the upper to the midsole in order to effect a suitable cement attachment of the parts preparatory to the subsequent stitching operation.

Upon the completion of the cement attachment of the midsole to the outwardly anged margin of the upper thewipers are retracted and the Vwork supporting plate is moved downwardly to release the shoe as described in the Choice et al. Patent No. 2,524,882 hereinbefore referred to.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. In a lasting machine, a pair of toe lasting wipers, a plate for supporting in upright position the forepart of a last and a shoe upper thereon and for supporting the iorepart of an extension sole which has not been attached to the last or to the upper, said work supporting plate being arranged to register with the wipers in their advanced position, said work supporting plate having formed therein chambers constructed and arranged to receive presser members for urging the ball portion of the extension sole against outwardly flanged bottom marginal portions of the upper. Y Y n 2; In a lasting machine, a pair of toe lasting wipers, a plate for supporting in upright position the forepart of a last and a shoe upper thereon and for supporting the forepart of an extension sole which has not been attached to the last or to theV upper, said work supporting plate being arranged toregister with the wipers in their advanced position, said work supporting plate having formed therein chambers constructed and arranged to receive presser members for urging the' ball portion of the extension sole against outwardly anged bottom marginal portions of the upper, said chambers being disposed at opposite sides of the work supporting plate and so arranged relatively to the wipers that in their advanced position the end portions of the wipers overlie a portion only 5 of each chamber.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hazelton Apr. 3, 1934 Gordon Nov. 16, 1937 Kamboriau Mar. 26, 1940 Choice Oct. 10, 1950 

